Twins Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove and Isolde are on the run, forced to become thieves to survive. Iselia is almost exactly like her sister... except that she is an autistic changeling left in the hhuman world by the fae as an instant. She has magic she cant control and has to deal with her emotions that spiral. When both girls end up on a hunt for fabled treasure, their heist goes horribly wrong and now they are forced to team up with a mysterious healer and an aggravating shifter who have much more at stake than either realized. Force on the run to find the treasure while running from the owner of the compass they stole, Seelie will have to learn to control her magic before it’s too late and she ends up hurting someone else. This is the first book in a duology and while it started off interesting it unfortunately fell off for me the more we got into the book. There seems to be an actual lack of movement in the story and you can definitely feel that this is the first book in the story. The majority of the book is spent with Seelie arguing with Raze, the hawk shifter who gets under her skin but they both might have a very very LIGHT romantic hinting at while also avoiding to try and learn magic and dealing with her emotions, guilt, and spiraling of the pressures of the journey. I love that we got an autistic main character and always appreciate more representation. My only issue was that I didn’t end up caring that much for any of the characters or their actual journey because it felt like it dragged on and there wasn’t much happening. Overall, this one just didn’t work for me but definitely give it a go if you are looking for a book with character representation.

*Thanks Netgalley and Inkyard Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

She’s a 22 year old influencer who needs a break from it all and decides to stay in an isolated cabin in the woods, he’s the mothman who comes crashing through her rough and into her heart. Heather has a bad case of burnout from being an influencer, constantly worrying about making content, looking perfect, and making other people happy. She wants a break so she decides to fulfill her cottagecore fantasies by renting out a cabin in the woods, yet the moment she gets into town she discovers that there is a monster in the woods... and later on said monster literally saves her only to then end up crashing through her roof a few days later. Heather can’t help but find him cute, especially with his long eye lashes, gorgeous wings, sharp cheekbones, and gorgeous hands. Heather nurses him back to health and spends time with him, she begins to fall for him and to her surprise he is also falling for her. Yet with a local monster hunter growing suspicious, Heather’s quiet life in the wilderness with a cute mothman is threatened and soon it might end terribly. Can she make it work with her brooding winged man or will the hunter finally catch him. This was a surprisingly super sweet story and the romance was cute, I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but it was super sweet and fluffy. Heather and Moth were cute and I can’t wait to see where the next book in the series goes!

The Christmas Witch is the story about how one girl creates a legend while searching for her lost twin brother. Long ago two siblings were left in the woods, one of them was taken by a family while the other was taken in by a witch of the woods. Kristtorn’s powers of magic grow as she trains under her guardian the witch... but so does her temper. After a village mob goes after her she decides to journey to find her long lost twin brother... yet what she finds instead is the question of what her power means to her and when she finally finds her brother.. she’ll have to confront what Christmas means to her. This was a surprisingly deep and interesting story, it was so unique, the artwork was beautiful, and it definitely should be added to Christmas book shelves!

The Christmas Witch has returned, after being put into ice, she has awoken to a whole new world and her brother abandoning his duty as Santa Claus. Now she has to figure out what has happened to him and what has happened to her powers that have disappeared. She’ll meet new friends, old ones, and finally confront her dislike of Christmas and how she can find balance once again. This was a great continuation of the story and i found it to be a unique way to continue the storyline. It really was a fun read and I love the artwork in the story!

Lavina Savoie is a witch who wants nothing more than to win a competition for her cause and her rival just happens to be Gareth Blackwater, a sexy Grim who wants nothing more than to worship her. Livvy is a people person, she’s got natural charisma and charms everyone she meets but when she meets Gareth, it’s instant irritation and no one gets under her skin like him. From the moment Gareth met Livvy he couldnt’ help but want her, yet he doesn’t want to admit it. When they are both forced to partner together in a public relations contest, the fire between them only grows as they both begin to play a game with higher stakes. Livvy learns that there’s more to Gareth than she could ever imagine and Gareth finds out that Livvy is the one for him, now he’ll just have to prove to her that there is no one else for her... except with a dark and dangerous warlock who has set his eyes on Livvy, they’ll both have to find a way to stop him before it’s too late. This story was such a fun one to read, and I adored the chemistry between Livvy and Gareth. They went from rivals to lovers and it was amazing. This was another great read in the series and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Merged review:

Lavina Savoie is a witch who wants nothing more than to win a competition for her cause and her rival just happens to be Gareth Blackwater, a sexy Grim who wants nothing more than to worship her. Livvy is a people person, she’s got natural charisma and charms everyone she meets but when she meets Gareth, it’s instant irritation and no one gets under her skin like him. From the moment Gareth met Livvy he couldnt’ help but want her, yet he doesn’t want to admit it. When they are both forced to partner together in a public relations contest, the fire between them only grows as they both begin to play a game with higher stakes. Livvy learns that there’s more to Gareth than she could ever imagine and Gareth finds out that Livvy is the one for him, now he’ll just have to prove to her that there is no one else for her... except with a dark and dangerous warlock who has set his eyes on Livvy, they’ll both have to find a way to stop him before it’s too late. This story was such a fun one to read, and I adored the chemistry between Livvy and Gareth. They went from rivals to lovers and it was amazing. This was another great read in the series and I can’t wait to read the next book!

What happens when your soul mate just happens to be the person who is the least likely to fall for you? Reece Rollins is a parks department supervisor and after a traumatic incident during his childhood camp with his father he has hated monsters, but now that his sister is getting married to one, he has tried to work on his prejudices and fear. He also happens to have signed up for a triathlon. When he goes to his sister’s party he runs into Cyrus, a kraken who just also happens to be an amazing swimmer and the perfect person to help train him for the swim portion of the triathlon at the Leviathan Fitness Gym... if only he could get over his fear. Cyrus has been depressed and lonely, after centuries alone and just working on his art, he’s given up on the idea that he could find love.. except the moment he touches Reese he knows he’s found his mate... too bad Reese hates monsters and can barely even stomach Cyrus’s touch.. yet to Cyrus’s surprise Reese apologies and then Reese and Cyrus find themselves working together as Cyrus trains Reese.... Cyrus just wants to help Reese maybe get to know him, to see him for him, and to know that he could possibly fall in love with him. Reese can’t seem to help but find himself falling for the one person he never expected but can’t stay away from. Cyrus haunts his every thought, but now both of them will have to work together to work out their differences and see if they can truly make it work. This was a super cute read!

A kingdom destroyed by colonizers, a song girl forced to face her powers and a boy with more demons than one, together they will find themselves fighting against those that have taken everything from them... but what are they willing to sacrifice for power? Lan is a song girl... she use to go by a different name but after the Elantian colonizers destroyed her kingdom, killed her mother and outlawed her people’s magic... she is now just trying to survive day by day being forced to be a songgirl by night in a teahouse that holds her contract and spend her days scavenging for something that would help explain the strange marked burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died. On one particular day she runs into a boy who appears at her tea house and saves her life... after she kills a man. Said boy is named Zen, he is a practitioner- one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom, whose’s magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they summoned. Zen recognizes that Lan is a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm, power that he’s never seen the likes of before and knows that she is someone he must take with him deep into the forests of the Last kingdom to the order of practitioning masters who plan to overthrow the Elantian regime. Yet the more time Lan and Zen spend together fighting off Elantian magicians and soliders, unlocking their pasts... and their potential feelings for each other the more they begin to realize they are more alike than either had realized. Both of them are survivors of colonizers who took everything from them, who killed their entire families, and left them powerless, and both are willing to do whatever it takes to get the power to protect those they love and fight back. The more Lan uncovers of her mother’s past and her own connection to the seal in her the more she realizes that she is much stronger than she could have imagined. Zen is hiding a secret of his own, one connected to his childhood... and one that will forever change the way he. Both Lan and Zen will face their destinies, who they are, and what powers they hold. They will have to choose the path they want and how when given the choice of power: what they will sacrifice. This was such a fantastic read, the journey of the characters was so well done and the action was amazing. I found myself completely at the edge of my seat throughout and I can’t wait to see where the second book goes!! Filled with adventure, action, quests, and light romance, this is a fantastic read for anyone who enjoys epic fantasies inspired by mythology and fun quests!

Spoiler

Lan is the daughter of Song Mei, the last muscial playing practitioner. She sealed the Silver Dragon ( one fo the four Demon Gods) into Lan before she died. Lan has now unlocked her seals (well Zen unlocked the last one) and found the musical instrument that helps her focus her powers. Zen’s secret is that as a child *at 7 years old* he made a bargain with a demon : in exchange for 100 souls he will have the power to destroy those who wanted to harm him. After he and Lan are taken by Elantians and tortured, he releases the demon, but that leaves him powerless again. When the Elantians are after them again he makes a bargain with the Black Tortoise ( another Demon God), in exchange for 1000 souls including his own mind, body, and soul, he will have powers to control the Demon... but every soul he takes the more control the Demon has over him. Lan and Zen confess their feelings for one another (Before he made the bargain) and he wants to protect her and the village they were at so he makes the bargain... but in doing so he loses himself. Lan discovers that Zen is the last son of the demon weidling clan for the black tortoise and must find a way to save him. She begins to use the power of Silver Dragon in her own body. There are only two other demon gods now: The Azure Tiger and the Crimson Phoenix. Lan stabs Zen after he kills his mentor (who turns out to be Lan’s father) in order to protect him from the Black Tortoise Demon but that leaves him in a critical state as the knife she uses harms both the demon and the human soul. The Elantian empire attacks them and destroys the school in search of the Demon Gods. Lan is tasked with one mission frmo the final words of their master: she is to find and destroy the Demon Gods. Lan is to become the Godslaayer. The Azure Tiger has been set free and the Crimson Phoenix has yet to be found.They have to journey to the West, to the Forgetten city of the west where the emperer built a hidden palace where he stored his most sacred posessions, aka where the Godslayer item is. Lan discovers that her mother made a bargain with the Silver Dragon: her soul in exchange for the protection of Lan’s life. Lan makes a new bargain: Her soul in exchange for her mother’s but only her soul, not her mind or her body and only once the Silver Dragon has fulfilled its duty in protecting her life and when she is ready to give it up. Zen is still alive and has woken up, he is with shan Jun, the medicine boy, and they both are heading to Zen’s true home (his real name is Xan Temurezen) and he plans for the future, trying to leave whatever he had with Lan behind after she left him.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

He’s just inherited his brother’s titles... and all his debt... and the only person who can help him is his best friend’s little sister... who just happens to be in love with him. John Barnesworth loves solitude, living alone in the wilderness, and staying far away from the ton... yet when he receives news that his brother had died and left him with all his debts, John has to come back to London to settle all the debts as well as repair the estate... and deal with the fact that his brother was in a contract to be married.. which has now transferred to him and now he finds himself with an unpleasant fiancee. Her dowry might save him from all his brother’s debts... but at what cost? His only hope comes in the form of the charming, beautiful, and completely off limits younger sister of his best friend, Lady Charlotte Stirling. Charlotte has always been in love with John but her brother has done everything he can to make sure they remain separated. She is known for her good work, her kindness, and for being beloved by society... yet every single proposal she has received she has turned down, in the hopes that one day she would reunite with John and convince him to fall in love with her. When she see’s that he needs help, what better way to spend more time with him than to come up with a plan to help him get out of his debt while also slowly trying to get him to fall for her. She knows that they are opposites and that John wants nothing more than to pay off his brother’s debts and return to his life in America in solitude, but her heart wants him and if she can convince him to maybe stay for her she’ll do anything. Throw in schemes of gambling, socializing, troublesome brothers, and dealing with feelings between two people who couldn’t be more different. This one was an okay read for me, it just didn’t really have anything that captured my attention and the romance between John and Charlotte just didn’t work for me. While it didn’t work for me, maybe it’ll work for you.

*Thank you Forever Grand Publishing/ Forever Reads for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who specializes in the study of faeries and on her latest research project she finds herself in for more than she could ever imagine, especially since her academic rival has turned up as well to assist her. Emily Wilde loves her work, she is focused on getting her enclyopedia of faerie lore done and with her last stop, it’ll be the last chapter in her book before she goes off to present it. Despite being so academically gifted, she has one problem, she’s horrible at understanding people and has a lack of social cues. She come off as cold, calculated, and rather singularly focused. So when she goes to a village to study their fae folk she has the villagers disliking her within a week and she can’t understand what she’s done to offend them.... cue Wendell Bambleby, her academic rival who is as handsome as he is charming... so handsome and charming that he has Emily suspecting that he is a fae himself because of all the things that occur around him. Wendell is gorgeous, a social butterfly, and the essential opposite of Emily (He honestly gave me Howl vibes, the man loves his looks, is magical, has a ton of paramours/conquests and is charming as can be). Wendell has showed up as a surprise to Emily and states that he wants to help her yet she knows there must be an ulterior motive. Yet the more time they spend together the more Emily gets closer to not only uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones- the most elusive of all faeries that live in the shadowy forest outside of town, but also to uncovering the secret of who Wendell truly is and what he wants. Soon she’ll find herself doing things and feeling things she’s never had before, from rescuing villagers to getting multiple marriage proposals. This was a super fun cozy fantasy with some light romance, I think it would be perfect for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle. I can’t wait to see where the next book goes!

Spoiler

Emily goes to write up her research and Wendall surprises her, he befriends the folks and helps her work on her people skills ( by mostly charming them himself). Emily befriends fae and helps rescue children and people for the village. She befriends Poe ( seriously their friendship was adorable) and she has Shadow her dog ( a Grim she rescued) who was also so precious. Wendall turns out to be an exiled Fae King who is searching for a way to get back to his kingdom, and take back his throne. He also happens to be in love with Emily and proposes to her near the end of the book, she says she will think about it. She is enchanted by the Winter Fae king and frees him, he then takes her for his own bride and Wendall and the villagers go to save her. They fake her death and Emily is able to finish her book. Wendall and Emily show off their research and are now looking to go forth on their next adventure together. Wendall’s identity as a fae is revealed to the village but they all like him and emily so they dont say anything. Emily leaves the village as a friend to them and is expected to visit them with Wendall again. Her next adventure is helping Wendall find his door to his kingdom.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

When her sister is arrested and accused of murdering her husband, Poppy knows it’s time to come out of hiding from her real identity and solve the murder to get her sister acquitted... and to do so she needs the help of Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham... who will help her in exchange for her helping him by pretending to be his fake fiancee to convince his family to stop trying to get him married off... the only glitch in the situation is that they’re falling for one another. Poppy Delamare has run away from home to escape an unwanted betrothal and run off to London where she’s been hiding under a fake identity and pretending to be the be the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. Yet when she discovers that her beloved sister has been accused of murder, Poppy know’s its time to go home and finally come out of hiding. On her way to the train, she purse and money are stolen and then she runs into the last person she wants to see, the insufferable Duke of Langham. Joshua can’t help but want to help Poppy, somehow he finds her refreshing despite her instant dislike of him. Joshua just happens to be going in the same direction as her as he is returning home to visit his family, but he knows his grandmother is going to try and find him a wife... so he offers to help Poppy not only pay for her ticket but solve the murder if she pretends to be his wife for the duration of the case. Poppy agrees because he’s the only person she can turn to for help when she was ready to do this alone. Poppy and Joshua begin opening up to one another, finding that they might have been wrong about each other’s misgivings at first and that their pretend engagement might lead to real feelings. Poppy finally has returned to her true self and is facing off against jealous society ladies, a stepfather who would rather sell her off and abuse her than care for her, and a murder case that seems difficult to prove. The more Joshua digs into the case the more he begins to question who he can truly trust and what is truly happening around his estate. From barbed dinners to fun stakeouts and banter for days, this was a fun read and the romance between Joshua and Poppy was sweet. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series but this one was easy to follow on its own. i would definitely recommend this for anyone who is a fan of historical romances with a murder mystery and sweet moments!

*Thanks Forever Reads and Grand Central Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*